Trouser hanger



IN VEN TOR.

TTORNEYS Patented Oct. 28, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,429,712 TRoUs R HANGER Gordon B. Fetter, Vandalia, Ohio Application December 7, 1945, Serial No. 633,309

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in trouser hangers.

An object of this invention is to provide a trouser hanger which is reliable and efficient in use, relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and which is adapted to engage the insides of trouser cuffs and hold the trousers without wrinkles in an inverted position.

A further object of this invention is to provide a trousers hanger in which the trousers-engag ing members can be locked in a cocked position while trousers are being arranged on them and then be allowed to spring outwardly to engage and hold the trousers, whereby use is greatly facilitated.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the drawings, and appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the trousers hanger of my invention, showing the manner of use;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partially in section, showing the construction;

Fig. 3 is a detail of one of the forked trousers engaging-members;

Fig. 4 and Fig. 5 are end views, showing how a trousers-engaging member is locked in its innermost position in the main tube; and

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4, showing one end of the trousers hanger in detail.

The trousers hanger comprises a suspending hook ill, a main tube l2, a pair of springs l3 and M, and a pair of trousers-engaging members l5 and [6. The shank H of hook it is passed through a hole in the midpoint of tube l2, the end of the shank being flattened as shown at IT, or otherwise prevented from being withdrawn, as by upsetting or bending the end. The springs I3 and M are arranged on each side of the shank H and rest against it. Thetrousers-engaging members l5 and I6, which are identical, have a cylindrical portion iii of slightly less outside diameter than the inside diameter of the main tube I2, and adapted to slide longitudinally in, or telescope into, the main tube. In Fig. 2 the trousers-engaging member [5 is shown in its innermost position and the other trousers-engaging member i6 is shown in its outermost position. The trousers-engaging members have forked portions l9 and extending in spaced relation at right angles to the tubular portion, and adapted to be inserted into the inside of trouser cuffs as shown in Fig. 1. The outer edges of each member have serrations 2| to grip the inside of the cuffs and prevent slipping.

The cylindrical portion of each trousers-engaging member is provided with a longitudinal slot 22, best seen in Fig. 3 and Fig. 6. Near each end of the main tube a projection 2t is provided which projects into the slot 22. This projection may be a screw, such as a self-tappingscrew,

driven into a hole in the tube, as shown in Fig. 2. For high speed production it is preferable to cut and. bend a portion of the tube itself inwardly to form the projection, as shown in Fig. 6. This projection enters the slot22 and coacts with it to keep the trousers eng aging member straight and stop it in the outward position shown in Fig. 6. Crossing slot 22 is a slot 24' at right angles, preferably forming a 'T-shaped aperture, as shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 6. The purpose of this slot is to permit the trousersengaging members to be twisted and locked in their innermost positions. This is shown in Fig. 5, where the trousersengaging member has been turned while in its innermost position to cause the cylindrical portion i8 to rotate a limited amount such as about -eighth turn in the main tube 12, and the probeen turned from longitudinal slot 22 into cross slot 24 as a result. Until the trousers-engaging members have been turned back to the position shown in Fig. 4, they will be held in this innermost position against the action of springs I3 and I4 and the serrated forked portions l9 and 25 can be'inserted readily into trouser cuffs. When the trousers-er1gaging members are in position in the cuffs the main tube is rotated by the hook it] until the position shown in Fig. 4 is reached. The trousers-engaging members will then be forced outwardly by the springs l3 and M, and will grip the insides of the trouser cuffs firmly 0n the crease line. The trousers can then be hung up in an inverted position by the hook I0 and will be supported in wrinkle-free condition.

The trousers hanger is suitably made of a corrosion-resistant metal, such as aluminum, or it can be made of steel and given a cadmium, zinc, or other corrosion-resistant coating. The hook l0 can be made from wire stock. The main jection 23 has tube I2 is of drawn, seamless, or tube stock, or it may be formed by rolling a sheet of metal to cylindrical shape. The springs i3 and I4 should be of spring steel and should be of such strength as to urge the trousers-engaging members outwardly with sufficient force to grip trouser cuffs firmly. The length of the main tube and the travel of the trousers-engaging members should be such that common widths of cufis can be accommodated. The trousers-engaging members may be formed conveniently from a single sheet by cutting to pattern and then bending to shape. The seam should come at the bottom as shown at 25 in Fig. 3, since this is the part of the cylindrical portion cut by the slot 22 While the form of trousers hanger described and illustrated constitutes the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise form, and changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the inventionas defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A trousers hanger of the character described comprising a main tube, a hook for suspending said tube in a, horizontal position, the shank of said hook passing through the midpoint of said tube, spring means on each side of said shank Within said tube, and a forked trousers-engaging member arranged at each end of said tube, each of said members having a cylindrical portion formed with a longitudinal guiding slot, said cylindrical portion being slightly less in outside diameter than the inside diameter of said tube, being arranged to move longitudinally into one end of said tube, and being urged outwardly by said spring means, means providing a projection on the inside near each end of said tube which coaots with said longitudinal guidin slot to guide said cylindrical portion during longitudinal movement and preventing said cylindrical portion from being ejected from said tube, said cylindrical portion also having a short crosswise slot at right angles to said longitudinal slot and so located with respect to said projection that said cylindrical portion can be locked in its innermost position and held against the action of said spring means by twisting said cylindrical portion to cause said projection to engage said crosswise slot.

2. A trousers hanger of the character described comprising a main tube, an adjustable forked trousers-engaging member at each end of said tube, each of said members having a cylindrical portion having a telescoping movement relative to one end of said tube and being formed with a longitudinal guiding slot crossed at a point near the forked portion of said member by another slot to form a T-shaped aperture, spring means in said tube urging said members outwardly from said tube, and a projection near each end of said tube, said projection entering said aperture and being so located that each said trousers-engaging member is maintained in proper alignment during said telescoping movement providing for movement thereof against the action of said spring means to an inward position where it is locked by turning said member in relation to near said projections by another slot to form a T-shaped aperture, spring means in said tube urging said members outwardly from said tube, and a projection near each end of said tube, said projection entering said aperture and being so lo cated that each said trousers-engaging member is maintained in proper alignment during said telescoping movement providin for movement thereof against the action of said spring means to an inward position where it is locked by turning said member in relation to said tube to cause said projection to engage said cross slot.

4. A trousers hanger of the character described comprising a supporting bar, a pair of trousers engaging members on said bar, at least one of which is movable longitudinally of said bar, sprin means carried by said bar for urging said one member away from the other said member, said one member having a slot parallel to the axis of said bar and a short slot crossing said first slot at a point removed from the inner end of said first slot, and a projection on said bar which coacts with said slots to keep said one member in proper alignment during movement along said bar, said projection acting as a stop for said one member at an outer position and also serving as a lock to hold said one member in an inner position against the action of said spring means when said member is turned so the projection enters said short slot.

GORDON B. FETTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,247,551 Lendel Nov. 20, 1917 1,804,314 Brun May 5, 1931 2,096,717 Hille Oct. 26, 937

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 280,983 Germany Dec, 3, 1914 

